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4 Old-School Skills that Can Save You Money

In today’s digital and out-sourcing age, there are a lot skills that we have pretty much lost touch with. We’ve become more specialized in our jobs and in the skills we employ at home too. While being more specialized can have some benefits, such as creating “experts” in certain fields, specialization can also come with a high-price to your personal finances.

Every time you outsource a task instead of DIY-ing it you are spending money that may or may not be in your monthly budget. By re-learning these 4 old-school skills, you can learn how to keep more of your money to yourself each month.

Baking and Culinary Skills

Nearly everyone knows at least the basics of cooking and even baking, but most of us have lost the finer culinary skills like bread-making. Instead we usually just rely on the $1 loaves of bread at the grocery store. While $1 doesn’t seem like much for a whole loaf of bread, it may seem like a lot more when you realize the ingredients in that loaf cost only pennies. Making your own bread (in bulk and freezing it) can be a fun activity to practice at home. It’s also a good way to bond with family or friends in the kitchen, and you will save money too!

Gardening

While we’re on the topic of food and grocery bills, gardening is something that many families used to practice. Home gardens used to be the primary way that families got to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer months. But these days gardening is more of a rarity than the norm. Bringing back this old-school skill can save you some serious cash on your grocery bill and you’ll also get the chance to consume home-grown organic produce that so much better for your health. There’s not much that can compare to the taste of a home-grown tomato.

Canning and Preserving

Once you’ve picked up the skill of gardening, the next step is to hone your canning and preserving skills. A successful home garden typically yields more fresh produce than the average family can use before it goes bad. This is where canning or preserving your bounty comes into play to make sure your hard work doesn’t go to waste. Plus then you can enjoy your home-grown products year round instead of only in the summer months.

Sewing

One skill that I’ve recently picked up and reaped the frugal benefits of is sewing. I could make a whole post about how sewing has been a valuable skill for me to learn. It’s fun, it’s creative, it’s given me a chance to bond with my mom and grandma (who taught me to sew), and it’s save me a bunch of money already. Sure it take a little more money to get started with this particular skill if you invest in a sewing machine (highly recommended), but it will definitely pay off.

Sewing will allow you to mend your clothes to make them last longer, turn old fabric and clothes into other useful household products, and even alter ill-fitting clothing to fit you better. If you are a second-hand shopper when you buy clothes, sewing is an excellent skill to take advantage of. I’ve been able to buy clothes that don’t fit quite right or are a little too big and then alter them to fit my body better without paying for an expensive tailor.

What other old-school skills have you found that can help you save money?